Structure of subtidal and intertidal communities of psammophilous ciliates of the Pechora Sea

A rich and diverse bottom ciliate fauna (168 species) was observed in the course of the studies of the subtidal and intertidal zones of the Pechora Sea; 81 of them were encountered for the first time in the Barents Sea region. As compared to the intertidal fauna, the sublittoral ciliofauna featured a higher species diversity but a lower total abundance (32.6 and 20.7 species per station and 10–100 and 2.4–443 ind./cm² in the subtidal and intertidal zones, respectively). With respect to trophic strategies, raptorial feeders were most abundant in the sublittoral zone (up to 77% of the total biomass), while both raptorial feeders (45%) and upstream filter feeders (36%) dominated in the littoral sediments. In the subtidal zone, two different types of ciliate communities were distinguished according to their total abundance and species composition. The first type is represented by abundant and species-rich communities mainly dominated by large specific interstitial ciliates developed over fine-grained well-sorted sands. The second type of communities joins mainly nonspecific eurybiotic ciliates dwelling over heterogeneous silty sediments; they feature lower abundance and species richness values. The high species diversity, the low abundance or absolute absence of meso-and polysaprobic groups indicating organic pollution, and the high values of the ABC size structure index suggested a good condition of the sediments and biota in the region studied.     

Significance of the Virus-Rich 2–200 nm Size Fraction of Seawater for Heterotrophic Flagellates: I. Impact on Growth

Abstract. The effect of artificially changing the concentration of naturally occurring free virus-like particles (VLPs) on growth of marine heterotrophic flagellates was tested in batch cultures using ultrafiltration technology. This manipulation influenced the course of flagellate growth markedly. During 1 week of incubation the growth of 4 tested flagellate strains ( Oxyrrhis marina, Paraphysomonas imperforata, Petalomonas cantuscygni, Pteridomonas danica ) was strongly favoured after increasing the VLP concentration. Bacteria, however, were repressed in these treatments beyond 50 h. In cultures with natural seawater microbiota, we both reduced and enriched the concentration of VLPs. In these cultures, reduction of material in the virus-rich 2–200 nm size fraction led to a strong positive growth response of heterotrophic flagellates. In VLP-enriched treatments of natural seawater microbiota a tendency toward growth stimulation was also found, although this was not significant. Enrichment with VLPs caused no recognizable mortality either in cultured flagellate strains or in naturally occurring flagellate communities. However, it is suggested that a highly bioactive component must be present in the virus-rich 2–200 nm size fraction. Virus-like particles are discussed as possible candidates influencing heterotrophic flagellate community successions.     

Quantitative distribution of the starfish in some bays of the far east

The quantitative distribution of the starfish was analyzed in Vostok Bay, Nakhodka Bay, and Kievka Bay (the Sea of Japan). Nine species were found. Three species of Asteroidea dominated (Asterina pectinifera, Asterias amurensis, and Leptasterias sp.). The population density of A. pectinifera and A. amurensis was higher in the shallow waters compared to the sublittoral zone. The frequency of the occurrence, the biomass, and the population density of Leptasterias sp. were the highest for the shallow waters and decreased accordingly when the water temperature decline on the transect from Vostok Bay to Kievka Bay. In Kievka Bay, which was characterized by the lowest water temperatures, Leptasterias sp. dominated in the littoral and sublittoral zones followed by A. pectinifera and A. amurensis.     

Environmental controls on phytoplankton community composition in the Thames plume,U.K.

The aim of this study was to investigate controls on the phytoplankton community composition and biogeochemistry of the estuarine plume zone of the River Thames, U.K. using an instrumented moored buoy for in situ measurements and preserved sample collection, and laboratory-based measurements from samples collected at the same site. Instrumentation on the moored buoy enabled high frequency measurements of a suite of environmental variables including in situ chlorophyll, water-column integrated irradiance, macronutrients throughout an annual cycle for 2001 e.g. nitrate and silicate, and phytoplankton biomass and species composition. The Thames plume region acts as a conduit for fluvial nutrients into the wider southern North Sea with typical winter concentrations of 45 μM nitrate, 17 μM silicate and 2 μM phosphate measured. The spring bloom resulted from water-column integrated irradiance increasing above 60 W h m^− 2 d^− 1 and was initially dominated by a diatom bloom mainly composed of Nitzschia sp. and Odontella sinesis. The spring bloom then switched after ∼ 30 days to become dominated by the flagellate Phaeocystis reaching a maximum chlorophyll concentration of 37.8 μg L^− 1. During the spring bloom there were high numbers of the heterotrophic dinoflagellates Gyrodinium spirale and Katodinium glaucum that potentially grazed the phytoplankton bloom. This diatom–flagellate switch was predicted to be due to a combination of further increasing water-column integrated irradiance > 100 W h m^− 2 d^− 1 and/or silicate reaching potentially limiting concentrations (< 1 μM). Post spring bloom, diatom dominance of the lower continuous summer phytoplankton biomass occurred despite the low silicate concentrations (Av. 0.7 μM from June–August). Summer diatom dominance, generally due to Guinardia delicatula, was expected to be as a result of microzooplankton grazing, dominated by the heterotrophic dinoflagellate Noctiluca scintillans, controlling 0.7–5.0 μm ‘flagellate’ fraction of the phytoplankton community with grazing rates up to 178% of ‘flagellate’ growth rate. The Thames plume region was therefore shown to be an active region of nutrient and phytoplankton processing and transport to the southern North Sea. The use of a combination of moorings and ship-based sampling was essential in understanding the factors influencing nutrient transport, phytoplankton biomass and species composition in this shelf sea plume region.     

Macrobenthic communities of the Vellar Estuary in the Bay of Bengal in Tamil-Nadu in South India

The macrobenthic fauna and communities of the Vellar Estuary located at the southeast cost of India (11°30′ N, 79°45′ E) and the adjacent marine and river habitats are described on the basis of original data (70 samples over 10 transects). The fauna consists of 115 macrobenthic species and 79 species in estuarine habitats. We described 14 types of macrobenthic communities with different compositions of the dominant species. The leading ecological factors of the distribution of the communities are the salinity, depth, and bottom type. The Vellar estuary consists of two longitudinal zones of macrobenthos. The polyhalinic area is populated by the marine species, but it is related not to a salinity decrease but to the protection from waves and silt on the bottom in this area. The polyhalinic communities are most abundant in terms of the biomass and species richness. The mesohalinic area is inhabited by brackish water species and communities with low abundance. The sublittoral estuarine area is dominated by filter-feeders—the bivalves Crassostrea madrasensis, Meretrix casta, Modiolus metcalfei, and Scapharca inaequivalves—and the littoral zone is dominated by the gastropods Cerithidea cingulata, some crabs, and polychaetes. The ecosystem function of the Vellar estuary can be defined as a filter for the fine organic particles transported by the river.     

Ecology of Nematodes in the Mediterranean Seagrass Posidonia oceanica (L.) Delile 1. General Part and Faunistics of the Nematode Community

Abstract. The nematode fauna of the phytal region of a stand of the Mediterranean seagrass Posidonia oceanica (L.) Delile was studied in a shallow subtidal location (5 m) at the island of Ischia (Gulf of Naples, Italy). During a one year's growth-cycle of the seagrass, abundance and faunal composition of the nematode community were investigated in a stratified sampling survey. Ninety seven species of nematodes were found. Nematode density and biomass ranged from 1.3 · 10⁵ indiv. · m^-2 (0.02g dwt · m^-2) in winter to 5.5 · 10⁵ indiv. · m^-2 (0.08 g dwt · m^-2) in early autumn. Density and biomass of nematodes were much lower and showed more marked seasonal fluctuations in the leaf strata than in the stem stratum of the seagrass. Diversity and seasonal homogeneity (expressed with Riedl 's index) were much lower in the two leaf strata (25–36 species, 29.6 ho%) than in the stem stratum (60–70 species, 42.5 ho%). The nematode community of the leaf stratum can be characterized as a Chromadora nudicapitata – Monhystrella sp. –Symplocostoma tenuicolle– community and is clearly set off from the stem stratum community (9.2% Riedl 's ho%), which is characterized as a Molgolaimus sp. 1 –Epsilonema sp. 1 –Chromadora nudicapitata– community. In the seasonal succession, the leaf stratum fauna shifts from a chromadorid-dominated community (from winter to summer) to a monhysterid-dominated community in early autumn. The stem stratum fauna shifts from a epsilonematid-dominated fauna in winter to a molgolaimid-dominated fauna in summer and early autumn. The distribution of nematode size classes showed a clear selection toward small animals (< 1 mm lenght), although marked seasonal fluctuations in size class distribution were observed. A modified approach for describing the trophic structure of the nematode fauna is presented. The observed abundance patterns and changes of community composition are discussed in relation to the development of habitat complexity and in relation to trophic conditions in the scagrass stand according to the seasonal growth rhythm of the plants and their aufwuchs-community.     

Release of dissolved amino acids by flagellates and ciliates grazing on bacteria

Release of amino acids was examined in the laboratory in the form of dissolved primary amine (DPA) by two marine planktonic protozoa (the oligotrichous ciliate, Strombidium sulcatum and the aplastidic flagellate Pseudobodo sp.) grazing on bacteria. DPA release rates were high (19–25 × 10⁻⁶ and 1.8–2.3 × 10⁻⁶ μmol DPA cell⁻¹ h⁻¹ for flagellates and ciliates, respectively) during the exponential phase, when the ingestion rates were maximum. Release rates were lower during the other growth phases. The release of DPA accounted for 10 % (flagellates) and 16 % (ciliates) of the total nitrogen ingested. Our data suggest that the release of DPA by protozoa could play an important role in supporting bacterial and consequently autotrophic pico- and nanoplankton growth, especially in oligotrophic waters, where the release of phytoplanktonic dissolved organic matter is low.     

中国亚热带-热带3个海区微型鞭毛虫群落优势种和稀有种的分布特征和建群机制

海洋微型鞭毛虫是海洋微型真核浮游生物中非常重要的一大类群,在构成和维持海洋生态系统的结构和功能中扮演着重要角色。微生物群落通常由少数优势种和大量稀有种组成,这种分布模式在海洋微型鞭毛虫群落中也极为常见,并且二者的内在特征可能对群落生物地理分布格局以及生态系统功能产生不同影响。然而在多数研究中并未将两种不同亚群落进行区分,对二者的分布特征、对环境和空间因子的响应以及在总体群落中的生态地位等的认识十分有限。本研究利用高通量测序技术,调查了中国近海亚热带 热带3个自然海区微型鞭毛虫群落中优势种和稀有种的分布特征,并探讨了环境因子和空间因子与不同亚群落之间的关系,利用中性模型揭示了中性过程在群落构建中的作用,最后通过共现网络分析解析了两种不同亚群落在总体群落中的生态地位。结果表明：3个海区微型鞭毛虫群落中的优势类群和稀有类群在多样性和物种组成上具有不同的特征,表现出一定的生物地理分布格局;这与它们受到不同程度环境因子和空间因子的驱动作用有关;中性模型的结果体现了随机过程在两种亚群落中的重要作用;最后,共现网络关系反映出不同丰富程度的生态类群具有重叠但又相异的生态位,从而在同一环境中形成物种的共存,维持了群落结构的稳定,而稀有类群以较高的连接度和更高比例的关键种数目,在网络关系中起到重要的连接作用。本研究初步揭示了中国近海微型鞭毛虫优势种和稀有种的分布特征和建群机制,为深入认识海洋微型鞭毛虫的群落结构、分布格局以及影响其群落构建的生态过程提供理论依据。     

Some Free-Living Heterotrophic Flagellates from Marine Sediments of Tropical Australia

The diversity of heterotrophic flagellates was examined at marine sediments around Cape Tribulation, Australia. The species described belong to the Alveolates, Apusomonadidae, Cercomonadida, Choanoflagellida, Cry ptomonadida, Diplomonadida, Euglenozoaincertae sedis, Kathablepharidae, Kinetoplastida, Pedinellids, Stephanopogonidae, Stramenopiles, Stramenopilesincertae sedis, Thaumatomonadidae and Protistaincertae sedis. Among the 51 species from 38 genera encountered in this study is one new taxon:Glissandra similis n. sp., and two new names are introduced:Goniomonas abrupta (Skvortzov 1924) nomen nodum andCercomonas skvortzovi (Skvortzov 1977) nomen nodum. There was little evidence for endemism because most flagellates including one new taxon described here have been reported.     

An experimental study of microflagellate bacterivory: further evidence for the importance and complexity of microplanktonic interactions

By simulating an upwelling event in a laboratory microcosm, it was possible to promote the development of a natural and diverse planktonic community. An initial bacterioplankton community which developed in response to phytoplankton growth was dominated by small coccoid forms (0,14–0,2 μm³) of the genera Vibrio and Pseudomonas. This group was heavily exploited by the heterotrophic microflagellate Pseudobodo sp. (30 μm³). Later, the bacterioplankton community was dominated by large rods (0,7 μm³) which the flagellates seemed unable to exploit. A Lotka-Volterra predator-prey model fitted to the observed data indicated that the flagellates consumed 2,4 times their carbon body mass per day or 19 bacteria·flagellate^?1·h^?1 when prey were not limiting. Clearance rates were inversely proportional to prey density and ingestion rate, ranging from 2 × 10^?3 to 20 × 10^?3) μ?·flagellate^?1·h^?1. At typical field densities of bacteria and heterotrophic flagellates in the southern Benguela region, between 5 and 30 percent of the water column could be cleared per day. Specific growth rates of the flagellates were positively related to prey density, the maximal rate being 0,84 · d^?1. Their initially faster growth rates allowed bacteria to increase in numbers despite predation. The growth yield of the flagellates (34–36 per cent) was also positively related to food density. Such low values suggest inefficient transfer of carbon to higher trophic orders but considerable nitrogen regeneration. Nitrogen excretion rates were approximately 6–7 μg N·mg dry weight^?1·h^?1, comparable to other flagellates but faster than ciliates. These rates are comparable with in situ measurements of NH⁺₄-N excretion in pycnoclinal regions based on ¹⁵N isotope studies but are only about 20 per cent of measured rates in surface waters. This is interpreted to mean that, in pycnoclinal regions where the relative input of "new" nitrogen is high, there are few regenerative steps and the model describes them satisfactorily. In surface waters, observed rates of excretion can only be accounted for by many regenerative steps in a highly complex food chain in which the cumulative total of nitrogen excretion at each step amounts to that based on ¹⁵N labelling studies.     

中国近海鸟蛤科的研究

鸟蛤科(Cardiidae)是双壳类软体动物中较大的一科,全为海产,但有些种能适应于半咸水,甚至进入河口区。本科大多数属、种均为热带和亚热带型,仅分布于寒带和温带的属、种很少。它们主要生活在潮间带和近岸浅水区,一般不超出大陆棚的范围。潜居于泥砂中,营底内生活,借助于发达的足有时可以进行短距离的迁移。 本文所用材料是中国科学院海洋研究所历年来在近海调查时所采得,其中主要是本所海洋综合调查船“金星”号及全国海洋综合调查拖网采集的底栖动物标本,此外,还鉴定了中苏黄、东海越冬渔场调查由苏联“宝石”号所采集的标本。作者谨向以上对标本采集付出辛勤劳动的同志们致以谢意。 鸟蛤科的属名和亚属名的使用在早期一直是十分混乱的,没有人进行过系统的整理。直到1935年Thiele在他的名著《Handbuch der Systematischen Weichtierkunde》一书中比较详细的总结了这一科动物过去的研究工作,从而第一次提出了比较合理的分类系统。本文主要采用了Thiele的分类系就,并参照了Keen、Kuroda and Habe的工作和作者个人的意见进行了部分的修订。     

浙江近海裸鳃类的研究

关于浙江近海的裸鳃类,过去仅有张玺、齐钟彦(1961)、林光宇(1965,1975,1981,1985)洪君超、尤仲杰(1965,1983)等先后零星报道12种,但尚未进行较系统的分类研究。我们整理了中国科学院海洋硏究所历年来在浙江近海进行调查所采集的标本和浙江水产学院1961-1985年在浙江沿海潮间带采集的标本,共鉴定出90种后鰓类。本文报道其中的裸鳃类共32种,分别隶属于14科,17属,其中有1新种,6种在我国为首次记录。 在这些种中,1种是环赤道分布种:海神鳃 Gulaucus (Gulaucus) marinus ；2种分布于大西洋、地中海；太平洋:雪白心海牛 Noumea nivalis,围鳃海牛 Joriana tomentosa;有9种是印度-西太平洋的热带种:双色裸海牛 Gymnodoris bicolor,多枝鬈发海牛Caloplocamus ramosus,草莓叉棘海牛 Rostanga arbutus，网纹舌尾海牛 Glossodoris tinctoria,黑枝鳃海牛 Dendrodoris nigra，溅斑舌尾海牛 Glossodoris aspersa,芽枝鳃海牛Dendrodoris denisoni,红枝鳃海牛 Dendrodoris rubra,白斑马蹄鳃 Sakuraeolis enosimensis；其余是西、南太平洋的热带、亚热带种和少数温带种。浙江沿海和日本南部沿海的共有种有20种之多,可见两地区系之相似。这些种能向北越过长江分布至黄海、渤海的有9种,向南分布到南海的有13种,其区系性质应为热带、亚热带。     

Harpacticoida (Copepoda) fauna and the taxocene diversity of the South China Sea

The full characterized list of known species of Harpacticoida is presented for the South China Sea based on original and literature data. Three Harpacticoida taxocenes from soft sediments are described on the littoral and sublittoral of shallows of Nha Trang Bay (Vietnam). The first taxocene is represented by dominating species of the genuses Phyllopodopsyllus and Brianola at the upper and middle littorals. The second one, which is characterized by dominating species of the genus Diarthrodes, is found on sublittoral, silty and fine sands. The third taxocene with dominating species of the genus Amphiascoides is described at coarse sands. The sediment type is a main factor of the organization of sublittoral harpacticoids associations. The depth also has an effect on the harpacticoids diversity and abundance. A comparative analysis of the Harpacticoida species composition is presented for the South China Sea, the Philippines, the Malay Archipelago, New Guinea, the Yellow Sea, and the Andaman and Nicobar Islands. The similarity of the species lists of the considered sector of the Indo-Pacific is extremely low. The main reason for the present high specificity of the faunas of the compared regions is the deficit of studies on Harpacticoida in tropical waters.     

New gastropods from deep-sea hydrocarbon seeps off West Africa

Thirteen new species of gastropods are described from the Zairov 1-2 and Biozaire 1-3 cruises to the methane seeps off the Congo River: Patellogastropoda: Paralepetopsis sasakii sp. nov. (Neolepetopsidae); Cocculiniformia: Pyropelta oluae sp. nov. and P. sibuetae sp. nov. (Pyropeltidae); Tentaoculus granulatus sp. nov. (Pseudococculinidae); Neomphalina: Leptogyra costellata sp. nov. (Family uncertain); Vetigastropoda: Puncturella similis sp. nov. (Fissurellidae); Lepetodrilus shannonae sp. nov. (Lepetodrilidae); Caenogastropoda: Provanna reticulata sp. nov. and P. chevalieri sp. nov., Cordesia provannoides gen. et sp. nov. (Provannidae); Phymorhynchus coseli sp. nov. and P. cingulata sp. nov. (Conidae); Heterobranchia: Hyalogyrina rissoella sp. nov. (Hyalogyrinidae). All species except T. granulatus (from a settlement trap) belong to groups known from cold seeps and the entire seep fauna here is new to science. Biogeographical affinity of this gastropod fauna is to the West Atlantic seeps, not to the Mediterranean seeps or Mid-Atlantic vents. Fragments of the autecology of the species are presented. The evolution of the seep gastropod fauna is briefly discussed and a continuous immigration of taxa is supported. The oldest verified occurrences of modern taxa in the seeps date back to Cenomanian (Cretaceous) time, while some taxa seem not to appear until very late Tertiary.     

Abundance and biomass of heterotrophic microbes in the Kongsfjorden, Svalbard

1Introduction Heterotrophicmicrobesarenowconsideredtobe significantcomponentsofthestructureandfunctionof marinepelagicecosystems.Heterotrophicbacteriacon- stituteamajorpoolofbiomassinopenecosystem (WilhelmandSuttle,1999).Theyconsumealargepor- tionofprimaryproduction(Li,1998;Sherryetal., 2002;Lietal.,2004),andtheymineralizemostofthe dissolvedorganiccarbonthattheyconsume(Azamet al.,1983;Richetal.,1997;Azam,1998).Therolesof planktonicprotists,suchasheterotrophicflagellates andciliates,inmicro…     

Comparative study on the fauna composition of intertidal invertebrates between natural and artificial substrata in the northeastern coast of Jeju Island

This study was carried out to learn about differences in the sessile macrobenthic fauna communities between the artificial and natural habitats. There were some differences in terms of species composition and dominant species and community structure between two habitat types. The dominant species include Pollicipes mitella and Granuilittorina exigua in natural rocky intertidal zones; Monodonta labio confusa, Ligia exotica, Tetraclita japonica in the artificial rocky intertidal zones. Among all the species, L. exotica and T. japonica occurred only in the artificial rocky intertidal zone. The results of cluster analysis and nMDS analysis showed a distinct difference in community structure between artificial and natural rocky intertidal zones. The fauna in the natural rocky intertidal zones were similar to each other and the fauna in the artificial rocky intertidal zones were divided depending on the slope of the substratum. In the case of a sloping tetrapod, M. labio confusa and P. mitella were dominant, but at the vertical artificial seawall, Cellana nigrolineata, L. exotica T. japonica were dominant. The analysis of the species presented in natural and artificial rocky intertidal areas showed the exclusive presence of 10 species on natural rocks and 12 species on artificial rocks. The species in the natural rocky intertidal area included mobile gastropods and cnidarians (i.e. rock anemones), and the species in the artificial rocky intertidal area mostly included non-mobile attached animals. The artificial novel structure seems to contribute to increasing the heterogeneity of habitats for marine invertebrate species and an increase the species diversity in rocky coastal areas.     

Importance of seep primary production to Lophelia pertusa and associated fauna in the Gulf of Mexico

To investigate the importance of seep primary production to the nutrition of Lophelia pertusa and associated communities and examine local trophic interactions, we analyzed stable carbon, nitrogen, and sulfur compositions in seven quantitative L. pertusa community collections. A significant seep signature was only detected in one of the 35 species tested (Provanna sculpta, a common seep gastropod) despite the presence of seep fauna at the three sample sites. A potential predator of L. pertusa was identified (Coralliophila sp.), and a variety of other trophic interactions among the fauna occupying the coral framework were suggested by the data, including the galatheid crab Munidopsis sp. 2 feeding upon hydroids and the polychaete Eunice sp. feeding upon the sabellid polychaete Euratella sp. Stable carbon abundances were also determined for different sections of L. pertusa skeleton representing different stages in the growth and life of the aggregation. There was no temporal trend detected in the skeleton isotope values, suggesting that L. pertusa settles in these areas only after seepage has largely subsided. Isotope values of individual taxa that were collected from both L. pertusa and vestimentiferan habitats showed decreasing reliance upon seep primary production with average age of the vestimentiferan aggregation, and finally, no seep signature was detected in the coral collections. Together our data suggest that it is the presence of authigenic carbonate substrata, a product of past seep microbial activity, as well as hydrodynamic processes that drive L. pertusa occurrence at seep sites in the Gulf of Mexico, not nutritional dependence upon primary production by seep microbes.     

Gomphonema novo‐zelandicum sp. nov., an epiphytic diatom with a specific host preference

Gomphonema novo‐zelandicum sp. nov., the dominant epiphytic diatom on Carpophyllum maschalocarpum and C. flexuosum, growing in the sublittoral fringe zone in northern New Zealand, is described and its taxonomic status determined. This diatom, although present on other macroalgae from the same zone, is predominantly epiphytic on these 2 species of Carpophyllum, maintaining substantial populations on them throughout the year.